ASHA workers protest, demand higher honorarium, oppose handling SAMASTA application

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers staged protests in Shivamogga and Hassan on Monday, demanding a monthly honorarium of ₹15,000 and relief from handling the SAMASTA application.

The State government introduced the SAMASTA application to digitise public health data and entrusted ASHA workers with the responsibility of entering the data. The workers alleged that they were not given good-quality mobile phones or tablets to use it, and that the government had also stopped the monthly ₹280 rent it paid to those using their personal phones for the work.

They demanded a support price for entering data on the application. They also expressed concern that their privacy was being compromised, since the app was being used on their personal phones.

Many ASHA workers are unfamiliar with smartphones and find the application difficult to manage. They said they struggled to type in both Kannada and English, and that the additional work had increased their burden.

They also refused to accept linking SAMASTA work to the incentives they are entitled to. “We are not opposed to advanced technology. However, forcing us to maintain daily digital records without basic infrastructure is unacceptable,” the protesters said.

They pointed out that ASHA workers in States such as Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Haryana receive more than ₹15,000 as honorarium, while the promises made by the State government to increase the amount have remained unfulfilled.

In Hassan, district president Mamatha and working president Pushpalatha led the protest. The workers staged a protest at Hemavathi Statue Circle and submitted a memorandum to the Chief Executive Officer of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat. In Shivamogga, district secretary Chandrakala led the protest.